When considering the different aspects of a business, one generally thinks about profits and losses due to sales, the costs of operation and the costs of startup. In order to keep a business running, business owners must balance all of these aspects in a way that keeps more money coming in than flowing out. From the business standpoint, many companies that provide services to customers have a relatively simple model, just make enough in new revenues or cut enough expenses to keep the operations profitable over time, and earn enough extra to pay down any debt that was incurred during the creation and operation of the business. When it comes to companies that provide services that may be mission critical, which is that are necessary to maintain and sustain if not ways of life then maybe that life itself may depend, there is added pressure to make sure that the business systems remain operational.

Using the cellular network business model as an example, we can see that the business itself relies upon customers paying for services, and bringing in more revenue than is expended to keep the operations going. This generally entails keeping customers happy with the service by not charging too much for cell phone coverage, making sure that the network is not dropping calls and that the consumer is able to receive data transfers quickly. In order to achieve this customer satisfaction, the network operators must continually invest in the improvement of the networks themselves, in order to provide the fastest speeds available and the clearest connections. This means positioning more and more equipment in the field to create complete coverage areas, and by extension risking this equipment to inclement weather conditions such as floods, wind storms, excessive heat and cold, and lightning storms. Every cell tower runs the risk of being struck by lightning and suffering the consequences of a power surge, ultimately resulting in that tower being rendered inoperable until repairs can be made, and the losses that come with repairs to the equipment inside. While the tower is offline, customers will see a degradation of service levels, and unhappy customers will many times become ex-customers. This vicious cycle is compounded even more if the person attempting to connect to the network is in some sort of danger or distress, and is relying upon that connection to receive help. The cellular network becomes a connection that is necessary to potentially save lives, instead of just a convenience.

The way that cellular networks attempt to ensure that customers receive the least amount of network outages and the best system performance is through the avoidance of the issues that cause damage to the network. This means that the integration of surge protection equipment into the systems themselves is critical not only to functionality and bottom line, but also may play a role in saving lives. Integrating surge protection equipment that is as advanced technologically as any equipment in the tower keeps the systems online and functioning, being there when it is critical and being there when it is just convenient. Raycap strives to create the world’s leading surge protection technology, and is proud to be part of the systems that people rely upon every day.